ESTABLISHED 1866. The Marlborough Express PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1913. ABUSE NO ARGUMENT.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVII, Issue 33, 7 February 1913, Page 4

ESTABLISHED 1866. The Marlborough Express PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1913. ABUSE NO ARGUMENT.

♦ A few days ago we expressed surprise and regret that certain of our | contemporaries, supporters of the Sedi don and Ward Administrations, should d ■ have developed of late a tendency to I carp and cavil at practically every . , official saying or deed of Mr Massey | and his colleagues. One of these i journals, the New Zealand Times, . j which has recently undergone one of l» its periodical "reconstructions," seems to be characterising the commencement of a new editorial era by o indulging in language much more fitj ted for the columns of the wildest of the American "yellow" journals than for those of a hitherto, at least, reputable and respected New Zealand newspaper. The special outburst to which we refer has been occasioned by the fact that the Hon. Mr Fisher, 18 i who has been visiting the West Coast, S i has .been received with that hospiy ; tality for which the "Coasters" are vr i famous, and has delivered some poli- . l tical speeches which, appear to have **■ | greatly pleased the audiences to I whom they were addressed. Our-Wel-lington contemporary seems to be quite disappointed that Mr Fisher was so well received, and has-attacked him in terms of personal abuse which to our mind are most offensive. Apparently it is a matter for surprise to our contemporary that the Minister for Marine was not stoned or pelted with mud for having dared to address public meetings at Hokitika and Ku- , mara, and after a long tirade of , abuse in- which such elegant terms as j "pimping" are employed it concludes G one of these precious effusions of gross journalistic bad taste by hinting that Mr Fisher would have met his rightful fate at Hokitika had he made the :e acquaintance of the nearest duckpond. Not satisfied with railing against the Minister for what, to us, 16 seems quite an innocent and certainly jr. by no means deliberately offensive rej ferencei to Sir Joseph Ward, the i Times must needs drag in a highly objectionable reference to Mr Fisher's dead father. The late Mr George Fisher had his weaknesses and his \ faults; but political or rather party " journalism has come to a pretty pass in New Zealand when to belittle a son it is found necessary to make illnatured references to a dead man. Such articles as those which have appeared invthe New Zealand Times during the past few days on the sub- •■•■ ject of Mr Fisher and his West Coast speeches can surely do far more harm than good to the cause of Liberalism, v or. indeed any other cause. We ourd selves have had occasion to differ from Mr Fisher. We had, as our readers will probably remember, a little bout with the clever but impetuous young Minister some months ago on the land question. But on both sides the controversy was conducted with courtesy. fc There is, we repeat, nothing to be gained by snapping and barking at Mr Massey and his Ministers on comparatively paltry points. There is r still less to be gained by such gross • and violent personal abuse as that in which, the Wellington, organ of the Liberal party has recently thought fit to indulge. The New Zealand Times has in the past done such excellent service m the Liberal cause that it is doubly regrettable that •it should of late have developed not only a spirit of mere captiousness, but a virulence _ ot language when referring to the •members of the present Ministry'personally which is most lamentably out v j of keeping with the traditions of respectable journalism in this country.